"Change-makers – enabling high-impact research" highlights some of the key takeaways from the 2016 Research Forum conference, hosted by the Wellcome Trust in London. These include contributions from Peter Piot, the Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, on learning lessons from epidemics; Ulrike Felt, Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Vienna, on striking a balance between curiosity-driven research and research that has a clear impact on the public; as well as diverse case-studies from other foundations.